Summit Hill Borough Council unanimously passed next year’s budget Monday night with a 2.75 mill tax increase.

It’s the first raise in taxes in four years.

For next year, the tax rate is 19.25 mills on each dollar assessed valuation for general purposes, 1.5 mills for lighting purposes and .5 mills for fire protection.

In addition, the borough assesses a two mill occupational assessment tax, $10 local services tax, $5 per capita tax, a one percent earned income tax and one percent realty transfer tax.

At a meeting earlier this month, council President Michael Kokinda said that the 2.75-mill increase would amount to an increase of $68.75 for a homeowner of a $50,000 home assessed at $25,000.

The budget is based on income/expenses of $1,622,045.

“We’ve gone through the budget several times over the past few weeks, and we’ve cut everything we could,” council member David Wargo said.

Council said garbage collection rates will remain the same at $60 per quarter or $240 per year because Summit Hill has a multiyear trash collection contract with Tamaqua Transfer.

For Kokinda, Alan Kruslicky and Gino DeGiosio, Monday was their final meeting as council members. Kokinda and Kruslicky lost their re-election bids in November. DeGiosio, who was appointed to an unexpired term two years ago, chose not to run for his seat. Kruslicky had also been an appointed council member, serving for a year.

Mayor Jeffrey Szczecina thanked each of the council members for serving the community.

He also pointed out that Kokinda had served 23 years and nine months on council. He was the council president for many of those years.

He said that while Kokinda was on council, a new borough garage was built as were a new borough hall, fire station and community center.

Szczecina said Kokinda has saved the taxpayers of Summit Hill thousands of dollars as a result of his mechanical expertise, especially with the HVAC systems in the borough hall and fire company complex. Twice in recent weeks Kokinda has responded to heating problems in the borough buildings and resolved them, the mayor said.

He said to Kokinda, “You can’t do this for 23 years and put up with the nonsense and not get recognition.”

The council agreed to continue meeting on the second Tuesday of each month in 2024.

The reorganization meeting of the council will be held on Jan. 3.